Now in its 14th year, Parish Music provides concerts of classical music in the five country churches of the Beckford Group - Alstone, Ashton under Hill, Beckford, Overbury and Teddington. All concerts are on Saturday evenings and start at 8pm. They conclude with an opportunity to meet the performers and enjoy a drink of wine or fruit juice in the church after the concert. We need to continue to cover our costs and so this year we have decided to increase the admission charge to £10 (students and children still free). 

Parish Music provides some excellent concerts for the benefit of the local audience, and at the same time provides up and coming local young professional musicians with the opportunity to perform in delightful surroundings. We have, over the years, engaged many young artists who have gone on to establish distinguished careers in the world of music.

Trio Ébano makes a welcome return to Parish Music. The group last played for us in November 2004 shortly after their leader, flautist Nicola Shorland, had become Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year.  She continues to be a dedicated chamber musician and has acquired an interesting collection of flutes, some of which she will demonstrate at the concert. The programme will also include music by Rutter, Villa Lobos, Mozart, Betthoven and Scott Joplin.

Trio Ébano was formed in January 2003; the name is taken from the Spanish for the ebony from which many woodwind instruments are made. Nicola is joined in the current ensemble by clarinettist Lucy Tugwell and bassoonist Hannah Wrieden.  Nicola and Hannah studied together at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Lucy studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.  In the summer of 2004, the trio won third prize in the ensemble category of the 13th Anglo-Czech Trust International Competition.  In 2006 Trio Ébano took their music to Singapore where they performed with the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and gave recitals and led workshops in various schools.

All the members of the trio value teaching as part of their portfolio.  Between them they teach in private and state schools in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, London and Warwickshire.  Nicola originally learnt by the Suzuki method with Susie Alington and is now herself an accredited Suzuki flute teacher.

Organisation & Funding

Parish Music is grateful for donations from local sponsors to supplement the income from admission charges. This funding has allowed us to attract high calibre musicians who continue to provide us with superb concerts. Our main expenses are for the fees for the performers, but we also have some advertising expenses and make nominal donations to the church at each concert to help toward the cost of heating and lighting.

If you would like to join our mailing list, become a sponsor or find out more about Parish Music please contact one of the organisers. You are able to use the tax attractive Gift Aid scheme to make your donations go even further. Your comments and ideas for future events will be welcomed by the organisers.

Alastair and Gill Humphrey (01386 881479); Julian Alington (01386 882060)